Session 1 Notes
As the Lords of Thunder pushed farther and farther north into the Borderlands and the frontier territories, the devastation became more and more apparent. Evidence of the vile work of the cult of Bane, the Hand of Naarash, was everywhere. Refugees, battered and homeless, wandered in a steady stream southward.
The cult had pushed toward the East out of the Moonsfall Mountains seeking converts. Their message was simple, follow Bane or die. Anyone not willing to pledge their allegiance to Bane was executed and their homes burned to the ground.
The group, weary from a long days travel, are seeking shelter in one of the frontier villages when they happen on a group of men tearing down a refugee tent and attacking the people.
A pitched battle then ensued between two human bandits, two human guards, a human mage and the group. Deft wizardry, subtle primal magics, and cold hard steel won the day but not without casualty. Than the Red was rendered unconscious during the battle but was saved by the judicious application of Lia's healing magic.
In the aftermath of the battle, the group learned that the men were all members of the Hand of Naarash as evidenced by the tunics they wore bearing the mark of the Black Hand of Bane.
Ranaqul, being a student of History and Religion, had heard of Naarash and believed him to be a high ranking demon servant of Bane dedicated to the militarizing of Banes followers into great armies of conquest. A theory born out by the invective that the enemy mage hurled at the group during the skirmish.
During the aftermath of the skirmish, the group was met by Emesha, a cleric of Pelor and leader of the Light of the Sun, a group dedicated to protecting the refugees and eradicating the threat posed by the Hand of Naarash. Emesha thanked the group for their assistance and requested an audience with them the next morning to discuss a matter of importance.
The next morning, Emesha, true to her word, met with the group and implored them to go out into the villages of the frontier and seek a lost Paladin of Pelor named Jaryn. Jaryn's mission had been to infiltrate the Hand of Naarash and strike at its leadership deep in their own stronghold in some place called the Pillars of Night. The last contact with Jaryn had been six months ago during a sending ritual where he reported being at the head of a trail called the Black March that he believed would lead them to the Pillars of Night. No word has been received since.
Per a request from Ranaqul, Emesha has provided a letter of introduction to help smooth the way for the Lords of Thunder in their travels. She also provided a map with some likely stopping points for Jaryn's group as they traveled. She has also promised 200gp each for the safe return of Jaryn and his companions to them.
So now, the group awaits an opportune time to begin their journey to rescue Pelor's wayward Paladin and bring retribution upon the hand of Naarash for their crimes against society.